: Built as a replacement for Challenger, it completed 25 missions, including the first service mission for Hubble.
40 Years Ago: Space Shuttle Enterprise rolls to the Pad - NASA
The Shuttle system consisted of three primary components that worked together for launch: The Space Shuttle
: Known for carrying the first American woman and African American into space; destroyed 73 seconds after liftoff in 1986.
: The first shuttle to fly into space in 1981; tragically lost during re-entry in 2003. : Built as a replacement for Challenger, it
: A prototype used for atmospheric flight tests; it never flew in space but is currently on display at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. How It Worked
The Space Shuttle, officially known as the , was the world’s first partially reusable spacecraft, operating from 1981 to 2011. Over 30 years, the program flew 135 missions , launched 355 people from 16 countries, and traveled more than 542 million miles. : A prototype used for atmospheric flight tests;
: Flew the final mission of the program (STS-135) in July 2011.